Accessible public administration in Germany

How can a public body deliver accessible and understandable digital communication?

A public body needs three connected workstreams: technically accessible systems, understandable content, and clearly assigned roles for review, approval, publication and updates. The applicable requirements depend on the level of government, the responsible body, and federal or state law.

Legal framework and scope

The responsible legal team must assess the specific public body and applicable state law.
Rules and regulations	Key message	Scope limitation
OZG	Access to public services through online portals should be seamless and accessible.	Federal, state and local authorities are affected differently depending on the task, portal network and implementation law.
BGG	Regulates equality and accessibility in the federal sector.	For states and municipalities, state equality laws apply in addition or instead.
BITV 2.0	Specifies digital accessibility for federal public bodies and contains special home page information in Section 4.	It cannot be applied unchanged to every public body, state or individual page.

Distinguish OZG requirements from Easy Read requirements

The current OZG calls for seamless, accessible access through public-service portals. Specific obligations to provide Easy Read information arise from the applicable accessibility rules, particularly BITV 2.0 Section 4 at federal level. Responsibility and the relevant state law must be checked before making a general claim.

Inventory and prioritize content

Priority combines frequency of use, impact and abandonment risk.
Contents	priority	Review focus
Forms and errors	Very high	Task, mandatory fields, troubleshooting, confirmation
Official notices and deadlines	Very high	Legal effect, deadline, action, contact method
Service descriptions	High	Eligibility, documents, costs and process
Help texts	High	Suitable for the respective process step
Accessibility Statement	High	Completeness, timeliness, feedback path
Recurring communications	Medium to high	Templates, versions, responsible body

End-to-end editorial and approval workflow

1
Assign accountable roles and deputies.
2
Select, clean up and version the source text.
3
Choose Plain Language or Easy Read based on the audience and task.
4
Create or generate a comprehensible version.
5
Complete subject-matter and language reviews.
6
For Easy Read, involve people from the intended audience.
7
Obtain legal and professional approval.
8
Publish, label and link language versions.
9
Maintain versions, triggers and update deadlines.
10
Monitor quality, process abandonment, support questions and user feedback.

Guidance for forms, official notices, portals and recurring content

Forms need clear field names, understandable errors, a recognizable sequence of steps and an accessible confirmation.

An understandable version of an official notice must preserve its legal effect, deadlines and remedies. It must not obscure or ambiguously replace the legally binding version.

Portals need consistent navigation, terms and language changes. Recurring content requires shared templates, accountable owners, and fixed update triggers.

CMS and API integration patterns

The pattern is more important than the specific system.
system	Robust pattern	control
WordPress	Separate language version as versioned content	Roles, preview, approval and fallback
TYPO3	Translation record or custom content type	Workspace, status, link
Drupal	Translatable fields or content moderation	Revision, moderation, rights
Storyblok	Localized fields with workflow and webhook	Schema, preview, release
Custom system	API job with content, mode, version and callback	Idempotency, logging and error handling

Procurement checklist

Verifiable requirements Document data protection roles, storage locations, deletion periods and subcontractors. Evaluate product accessibility separately from the accessibility of generated content. Define contractual responsibility for subject-matter, language, audience and legal review. Test open interfaces, export formats and accessible embedding. Require versioning, logs and reproducible evidence. Determine exit strategy for data, templates, interfaces and provider changes.

Roadmap for municipalities and districts

1
Capture responsibilities, legal frameworks and ten most important processes in 30 days.
2
Test two high-priority processes with users in 60 days and establish a release workflow.
3
Standardize templates, CMS templates, metrics and procurement criteria in 90 days.
4
Then check content, complaints, cancellations and legal changes on a quarterly basis.

Frequently asked questions

What does accessible digital public administration involve?

Technical accessibility, understandable language and a continuously managed publication process belong together.

Does BITV 2.0 apply to every municipality?

BITV 2.0 applies directly to German federal public bodies. Municipalities must assess the relevant state law and the status of the responsible body.

Does the OZG require all content to be available in Easy Read?

No. The OZG requires accessible portal access. Specific Easy Read obligations must be derived from the applicable accessibility rules.

How can online forms be made more understandable?

Clear field names, short help, concrete error messages, visible steps and understandable confirmation reduce barriers.

Can an understandable text replace a notice?

That depends on the legal form and procedure. An understandable additional version often makes sense, while the legally binding version must remain clearly recognizable.

Who approves simplified public-service content?

The responsible department, editorial team and, for legally sensitive content, legal team need clearly defined roles. Easy Read also requires review with the intended audience.

Accessible public administration in Germany.